Aside

Contact










Online Resources








References

Professor Jack Williams

jwwilliams1@wisc.edu

Professor George Perry

george.perry@auckland.ac.nz



Disclaimer

Made w/ pagedown.

Source code: github.com/nstrayer/cv.

Main

Quinn Asena

Post-doctoral research associate developing and applying new statistical methods to palaeoecological data to understand ecosystem responses to environmental change. Working with Jack Williams and Tony Ives on data across North America on an NSF funded project: Abrupt Change in Ecosystems. I also like to get hands on in the field and lab.

Education

PhD, University of Auckland

School of Environment

Auckland, NZ

2021 - 2017

  • PhD explored virtual ecological methods for generating pseudoproxy data to assess statistical inferences under data uncertainty.
  • Supervised by George Perry and Janet Wilmshurst

MEnv. Environmental Science

University of York

York, UK

2016 - 2012

  • 1st class integrated masters degree in environmental science. Master’s researched involved environmental monitoring using sensor networks and robotics.
  • Courses included: Ecological Principles; Biogeography, Applied Ecology and Environmental Management; Protected Areas; Design and Implementation; Climate Change: Science, Observation & Impacts; Research Skills and Statistical Methods

Music School

Royal Academy of Music

London, UK

2010 - 2005

  • Study in performance, composition and musical theory. Multiple competition awards
  • ABRSM Grade 8 Piano Performance
  • ABRSM Grade 5 Music Theory

Certified Carpentries instructor

Global digital skills community

Virtual

N/A

  • Certified to host and assist in running workshops from The Carpentries organisation

Selected Positions

Post-doctoral research associate

University or Wisconsin-Madison

Madison, WI

Present - 2022

  • NSF grant, developing state-space modelling methods to analyse palaeoeological records
  • Abrupt change in ecosystems project lead by Jack Williams and Anthony Ives

Research Assistant

University of Auckland

Auckland, NZ

2022 - 2021

  • Conducting a bibliometric analysis on the topic of climate justice

Engagement Specialist

Centre for e-Research

Auckland, NZ

2022 - 2021

  • Engaging with researchers to provide advice and resources for their research compute needs
  • Includes technical skills for virtual machines (Linux, Bash, Slurm), high performance computing, and version control

Data Analyst

Auckland Council

Auckland, NZ

2021

  • Role: analyse citizen science bird count data and write a technical report.

Graduate Teaching Assistant and Assistant Coordinator

University of Auckland

Auckland, NZ

2019

  • GTA and assistant coordinator for Discovering Environmental Modelling
  • Guest lecturer on population growth
  • Developed application as a teaching aid: shiny app for lecture and lecture slides

Graduate Teaching Assistant

University of Auckland

Auckland, NZ

2019 - 2018

  • GTA: Natural and Human Environmental Systems; Discovering Environmental Modelling; and, Environmental Science and Management

Research Assistant

Stockholm Environment Institute

York, UK

2017 - 2016

  • Assisting in the reconstruction of fire regimes in the North York Moors
  • Core preparation and microscope analysis for charcoal and SCPs
  • Statistical analysis and compilation of data



Articles and Publications

Courses

Attended several courses during my PhD to improve my software proficiency and scientific understanding including:

Software courses:

  • - Software Carpentry
  • - Winter Bootcamp
  • - Research Bazaar

University Papers/Modules:

  • - Environmental Data Analysis
  • - Modelling of Environmental Systems






Skills

  • - programming
  • - High performance computing
  • - Microscopy
  • - ITRAX core scanning
  • - Peat core preparation

Is the past recoverable from the data? Pseudoproxy modelling of uncertainties in palaeoecological data

Holocene

N/A

Accepted

  • Asena, Perry and Wilmshurst

Response to comment on Peatland carbon stocks and burn history: Blanket bog peat core evidence highlights charcoal impacts on peat physical properties and long-term carbon storage by Evans et al.

GEO: Geography and Environment

N/A

2019

  • Heinemeyer et al.
  • Role: core preparation and microscopy - charcoal and spheroidal spheroidal carbonaceous particles

Population viability analyses in New Zealand: a review

New Zealand Journal of Ecology

N/A

2018

  • Simpkins et al.

Packages, apps and resources

Authoring collaborative research projects in Quarto

Workshop

N/A

2023 - 2022

fisheR

R package

N/A

2019

  • Translation of python script for calculating Fisher’s Information on time-series data
  • Code available on GitHub

Population growth app

Shiny app

N/A

2019

Population growth lecture aid app

Shiny app

N/A

2019

Selected Workshops and Conferences

George Perry Lab

Interested in the lab group? Visit George Perry’s lab group: Spatial Ecology Group




Williams Lab

Check out the Williams lab




Ives Lab

See what the Ives Lab group do




Hobbies and Interests

  • Keen musician improving my piano skills

  • Rock climber, if I’m not working I’m probably up a mountain. Been teaching rock climbing safety in the university club for two years

ESA

Ecological Society of America

Portland, OR

2023

INQUA

International Union For Quaternary Research

Rome, IT

2023

ResBaz

Research Bazaar

Auckland, NZ; Madison, WI

2023 - 2021

BES: Palaeo in R

British Ecological Society

Virtual

2022

  • Speaker on virtual ecological methods to assessing uncertainty in palaeoecological data using pseudoproxies

AGU

American Geophysical Union

Chicago, IL

2022

  • Speaker on virtual ecological methods for assessing uncertainty in palaeoecological data using pseudoproxies

AMQUA

American Quaternary Association

Madison, WI

2022

  • Poster session on virtual ecological methods to assessing uncertainty in palaeoecological data using pseudoproxies

INQUA

International Union For Quaternary Research

Dublin, Ireland

2019

  • Speaker on pseudoproxy modelling for assessing statistical inferences

Durham

Durham University

Durham, UK

2019

  • Invited speaker on modelling resilience in ecosystems

Biological Heritage Science Challenge

University of Canterbury

Christchurch, NZ

2019

  • Speaker on resilience in ecosystems

International Swiss Climate Summer School Earth systems variability through time: processes, observations and models

University of Bern

Bern, Switzerland

2018

  • Poster presentation and participant
  • Accredited course worth 3 ECTS credits

Te Punaha Matatini Biomaths

University of Auckland

Auckland, NZ

2018

  • Speaker

EcoRe3: Resistance, Recovery and Resilience in Long-term Ecological Systems

PAGES - University of Utah

Utah, USA

2018

  • Speaker on modelling resilience in ecosystems

Paleodata Demo Derby Workshop

University of Wisconsin

Wisconsin, USA

2018

  • Participant

Biological Heritage Science Challenge

University of Canterbury

Christchurch, NZ

2017

  • Speaker

Volunteering and other Experience

Database Work for Literature Review

N/A

York, UK

2016

  • Literature review work for Assoc. prof. Andy Marshal (unpublished)

NightSafe Volunteer

University of York

York, UK

2015

  • Student organisation taking care of student safety throughout the night in the City of York

Science and Outreach - York Institute for Tropical Ecosystems

University of York

York, UK

2015

  • Developed short films and interviews overviewing the work done by the York Institute for Tropical Ecosystems (KITE)
  • Link to film
  • Link to short

York Students in Schools Volunteer

University of York

York, UK

2014

  • Volunteering as an assistant in school teaching a range of sciences

Flood Defences - certified course

University of York

York, UK

2012

  • Design a flood defence plan for the City of York
  • Team won first place

Environment Department Media Development

University of York

York, UK

2012

  • Filming and editing a series of interviews of academics in the environment department for open-day presentations